Mixed Number — 1 1/2 — free printable diagram

What is 1 1/2 as an improper fraction?

1 1/2 is a mixed number — 1 whole and one half. Written as an improper fraction it is 3/2, and as a decimal it is 1.5.

Mixed number

1 1/2

Improper fraction

3/2

Whole part

1

Fraction part

1/2

As a decimal

1.5

• To turn a mixed number into an improper fraction, multiply the whole number by the denominator and add the numerator, keeping the same denominator: (1 × 2) + 1 = 3, so 1 1/2 = 3/2.
• Going the other way, divide the top by the bottom: 3 ÷ 2 = 1 remainder 1, which is 1 whole and 1/2 left over.
• As a decimal, 1 1/2 = 1.5.
• The picture shows 1 complete shape shaded plus one half of one more, which is what a mixed number is: a whole number and a fraction written together.